With production of its Roadster sports car ramping up, Tesla Motors has announced plans to offer a more powerful variant of the electric two-seater. Called the Roadster Sport, the EV promises 15 percent more peak power than the base model, not to mention improved handling and unique paint job with carbon accents.
The Roadster Sport does zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds — compared to 3.9 seconds for the standard edition. This puts it in the same league as some very exotic sports cars. “This car can beat nearly anything in its price class – yet it is twice as efficient as compact hybrid sedans,” said Michael van der Sande, Tesla’s senior vice president of global sales, service and marketing. “If you refuse to compromise on performance or the environment, the Roadster Sport is your only option.”
The Sport’s electric motor comes with a hand-wound stator and increased winding density for lower resistance and higher peak torque. In addition to Yokohama’s A048 Ultra High Performance tires, the Roadster Sport has improved suspension with adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars that will be tuned to the driver’s preference.
The Roadster Sport starts at $128,500 in the United States and €112,000 (excluding VAT) in Europe. Tesla has delivered more than 500 examples of the original Roadster to customers, and hundreds more are on the waiting list. Customers who haven’t taken delivery may switch their order to the Roadster Sport.
“The Roadster Sport embodies Tesla’s spirit of continuous improvement,” said CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “The Roadster has been a great success, but no one at this company remains satisfied with the status quo.”
08/20, 2:03 PM
posted by:
SomeGreek
Great work, Lotus!
08/20, 2:03 PM
posted by:
IIL
I’d take an Exige over this electric crap any day… more fun and still efficient.. Only downside is the toyota engine.. Who is with me when i say toyota’s design team is retarded? anyone?
08/20, 2:12 PM
posted by:
Kid Icarus
Keep it up Tesla! I can’t wait to drive the Model S
08/20, 2:58 PM
posted by:
zfenderguy
OK, not saying that I love Toyota’s engines or anything, but it seems to be working for the Elise/Exige varients. I ask then, with performance, efficiency and weight in mind, what would you put in the Exige S? I don’t have an immediate answer for that, since keeping the weight down and maximizing performance either points to a small 4 banger tweaked within an inch of it’s life, or this.
08/20, 2:59 PM
posted by:
leftwingagenda
you’d take an exige, and then get smoked at a stoplight, and then say EVs are crap? ok, that makes sense…not…
08/20, 3:08 PM
posted by:
Blakkarr
Once TESLA gets the cars out they want out their, that would include their $30K car, I would wager they will go back and design a new Roadster from scratch or work more closely with Lotus to develop a purpose made platform. Something a step beyond the DODGE CIRCUIT, which goes a bit further to being purpose made but not quite there.
I’m not quite sold on BEV’s (Battery Electric Vehicles) yet, But I am in TESLA’s corner to make it work.
08/20, 3:33 PM
posted by:
desmints
Damn, this thing is a freaking rocket. Those performance numbers are unreal. Can be easy to lose control unless you’re a skilled driver used to handling that kind of power.
08/20, 3:36 PM
posted by:
GTSR2000
Why doesnt Tesla absorb its electric efforts into normal cars instead of wasting their time with sports cars? Sportscar will NEVER be electric, they are gas or they dont exist, and thats that. Infact, i dont even belive that regular cars should go electric, seeing as how to process of making batterie is very un-envirmental, and they are a big step backward from gas cars from a convienance or desirability standpoint
08/20, 3:39 PM
posted by:
SomeGreek
Would you be in Tesla’s corner if it was a Russian company? I bet you wouldn’t but we’ll never know. All we do know is that you’re in America’s corner even if doesn’t make sense. Which is great for you and your country but for me it’s only an example of nationalistic irrationality.
08/20, 5:15 PM
posted by:
2WheeledSpeed
Who here is praising Tesla simply because they’re an American company? This isn’t GM vs Toyota, this is Tesla vs… Basically nobody… I don’t see nationalistic irrationality anywhere here…
Anyways, awesome car. Way too out of my price range sadly.
08/20, 10:19 PM
posted by:
Pazzo Canguri
GOD THAT FUGLY…
08/21, 8:18 AM
posted by:
Borat
Pazzo, it is Lotus! Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, but universally considered one of the better looking sport cars.
08/21, 11:33 AM
posted by:
Need4SSpeed
$128k price tag???
Sorry I’ll take a “gas guzzling” V8 powered Corvette ZO6 that’ll perform just the same for over $50k less…
Or take a ZR1 still for less that’ll perform even better…
Anyways before my comment gets taken out of context all I’m saying is that this technology is still “retardedly” (If Obama can do that, then so can I… lol) expensive for it to be anywhere practical.
Obviously the technology should get cheaper over the years, but until Tesla offers anything that’s affordable like their Model S sedan, all the Tesla Roadster will be in my mind is an overpriced electric powered go-kart.
08/21, 1:52 PM
posted by:
MikLawry
This car is ugly as ever! People want this? Are they serious about the price? They are the Mac of the auto industry. I’ll pass, give me a Dodge Circuit any day.
08/21, 4:31 PM
posted by:
IIL
MikLawry you are my new friend… You are absolutely right about the mac thing..
08/22, 2:26 PM
posted by:
Borat
Yep it is 128K. Realistically even loaded Exige would be about half of that, but it would not be electric. The allure is not Lotus frame and chassis, but lightweight electric batteries and engine.
BTW, I don’t know if Exige would overtake Vette on straight line, but on racing circuit you probably is better off in Exige.